title: Skeletal-related events among breast and prostate cancer patients: towards new treatment initiation in Malaysia's hospital setting.
abstract: The human skeleton is the most common organ to be affected by metastatic cancer and bone metastases are a major cause of cancer morbidity. The five most frequent cancers in Malaysia among males includes prostate whereas breast cancer is among those in females, both being associated with skeletal lesions. Bone metastases weaken bone structure, causing a range of symptoms and complications thus developing skeletal-related events (SRE). Patients with SRE may require palliative radiotherapy or surgery to bone for pain, having hypercalcaemia, pathologic fractures, and spinal cord compression. These complications contribute to a decline in patient health- related quality of life. The multidimensional assessment of health-related quality of life for those patients is important other than considering a beneficial treatment impact on patient survival, since the side effects of treatment and disease symptoms can significantly impact health-related quality of life. Cancer treatment could contribute to significant financial implications for the healthcare system. Therefore, it is essential to assess the health-related quality of life and treatment cost, among prostate and breast cancer patients in countries like Malaysia to rationalized cost-effective way for budget allocation or utilization of health care resources, hence helping in providing more personalized treatment for cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Sharifa Wan Puteh
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Ezat
authors.forename: Syed Mohamed Aljunid
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Syed Junid
authors.forename: Khamis
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Noraziani
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zafar
authors.forename: Sulong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saperi
authors.forename: Amrizal Muhammad
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Nur
authors.forename: Azimatun Noor
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Aizuddin
authors.forename: Fuad
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ismail
authors.forename: Norlia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Abdullah
authors.forename: Zulkifli Md
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Zainuddin
authors.forename: Abdul Yazid
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Mohd Kassim
authors.forename: Nor Hazla Mohamed
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Haflah
mesh_terms: D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000191:economics* / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000473:pathology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000191:economics / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000150:complications; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D006934:Hypercalcemia / Q000150:complications; D008296:Malaysia; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000191:economics / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D011788:Quality of Life; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000150:complications